Police in Suffolk County, New York rescued almost 300 neglected animals, including birds, rabbits, cats, and snakes, from a home on Long Island, New York that was filthy and infested with vermin, and charged the owner, who is also an author of a self-help book and a social worker, with animal cruelty.

The Suffolk County District Attorney’s team of Biological, Environmental, and Animal Safety (BEAST), worked in collaboration with ASPCA units from different areas across the country and the town of Brookhaven to rescue the animals.

The rescue exercise, dubbed “Operation Open Cage,” was set in motion on October 1, when animal control officers reported the situation to authorities after they were made aware of the animal hoarding situation in the home on Long Island.

Animal control officers and investigators from the DA’s office went into the house in hazardous material suits. The authorities recovered 118 rabbits living in the home, 150 birds, seven tortoises, 15 cats, and three snakes. The home had a serious mice infestation, and the animals lived in a filthy state surrounded by urine and feces. The entire home was covered in cockroaches.

Jed Painter, BEAST Supervising Attorney, said that it was likely that the owner got extremely overwhelmed with caring for the animals as they continued to reproduce. He said that the conditions of any house holding close to 300 animals were bound to have ammonia levels that were toxic to the animals.

Karin Keyes, 51, the owner of the home, was arrested and charged with a few counts of cruel confinement of animals. The Suffolk County DA’s office said they charged her under the agriculture and market laws.

BEAST Attorney Painter said that the utterly filthy conditions of the home, combined with overcrowding, caused many health risks and problems for the animals, including sores and hair loss. All the animals were evacuated and taken for treatment, and most are expected to recover fully. They were transported to different animal shelters and sanctuaries.

The owner, Keyes, a clinical social worker and author, has written and self-published a self-help book called Journey into Awareness: Reclaiming Your Life. It is unclear if she has legal representation, and she is yet to comment on the story. 

Keyes had been seeing patients in her home, and had asked some to care for her animals while she was away. They accidentally tripped a fire alarm while attending to the animals in the home, and firefighters arrived at the deplorable scene. Suffolk County prosecutors started their investigations after the Brookhaven Animal Control office called them. They then called animal control, alerting the County’s DA office.

Officials from the DA’s office said that the conditions in the house were so bad that a building inspector from Brookhaven said the property was uninhabitable.

Ray Tierney, Suffolk County DA, said his office would work with local law government and animal rescue groups to ensure that these animal cruelty cases were properly addressed and hold the people accountable.

Matt Bershadker, the ASPCA CEO, recounted the deplorable state they found the animals in, saying that upon arrival, they immediately knew they had to get the hundreds of animals out of the filthy house and get them expert care.

According to Painter, there were thousands of cockroaches in the house, and investigators expected the house to have fleas and mites. He said the rescuers were forced to wear protective gear because the smell of ammonia and feces was overwhelming.

What’s hard to understand is how the therapist was able to see patients in the home. 

According to WNYW, friends of Keyes friends called her “Snow White” because of her love for animals, and several of them defended and said she had good intentions.